Derval O’Rourke was given a standing ovation when she received the Athlete of the Year Award for 2010 at the Woodies DIY/Tipperary Crystal National Athletics Awards hosted by Athletics Ireland at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Dublin. “Getting this Award makes all the hard work very much worthwhile” said the Cork star who performed so brilliantly to win the silver medal in the 100 Hurdles last August in the European Athletics Championships.
On that evening in Barcelona O’Rourke showed another example of her unyielding competitiveness and fighting spirit to her medal in a new Irish record of 12.65 seconds, finishing just two hundredth’s of a second behind the winner, Nevin Yanit of Turkey in a thrilling finish.
O’Rourke beat off some highly creditable opposition to win the highly prestigious award ahead of the other excellent nominees; European 400m finalist and Irish record holder David Gillick, 200m finalist, Paul Hession, and Ailis McSweeney, the Cork sprinter who set a new Irish women’s 100m record in 2010.
The evening was well attended by athletes and supporters of Irish Athletics in the Crowne Plaza Hotel to help celebrate the 2010 athletics season, a year in which 28 new national records were set or equalled.
The full list of award winners on the night were:
Track Athlete of the Year – Derval O’Rourke (Leevale AC)
Cross Country / Road Athlete of the Year – Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers AC)
Race Walker of the Year – Robert Heffernan (Togher AC)
Field Athlete of the Year – Kelly Proper (Ferrybank AC)
Coach of the Year – Eamonn Christie (Beechmount AC)
Lifetime Achievement Award – Dan Kennedy
Club of the Year – St Abban’s AC
Official of the Year – Tommy Hayward (Donore Harriers AC)
Master Athlete of the Year – Pat Timmons (Raheny Shamrocks AC)
Junior / Emerging Athlete of the Year – Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn AC)
Inspirational Performance of the Year – Ailis McSweeney (Leevale AC)
Athlete of the Year – Derval O’Rourke (Leevale AC)
